Dorasan Station (Korean: 도라산역) is a railway station situated on the Gyeongui–Jungang Line, which formerly connected North Korean and South Korean rail systems and has since been restored. Dorasan station is located approximately 650 meters (710 yards) from the southern boundary of the Korean Demilitarized Zone and is currently the northern terminus of Korail's Gyeongui-Jungang Line, which is served by Shuttle Service to Imjingang Station. North of here the former Gyeongui Line continues as the Korean State Railway's P'yŏngbu Line, but this connection is not in regular service. The current purpose of the station is largely symbolic of the hope for eventual Korean reunification.
On December 11, 2007, freight trains began traveling north past Dorasan station into North Korea, taking materials to the Kaesong Industrial Region, and returning with finished goods. It was scheduled to make one 16-kilometer (9.9 mi) trip every weekday.[1]
On December 1, 2008, however, the North Korean government closed the border crossing after accusing South Korea of a confrontational policy.[2] This coincided with the 2008 South Korean legislative election, and a change to a more conservative government. After that it was opened and closed again repeatedly, with the most recent reopening having been on 16 September 2013.[3]
On December 11, 2021, a new 3.7 km (2¼ mile) Gyeongui–Jungang Line shuttle service between Imjingang Station and Dorasan Station began operations. This service operates only once during weekends and public holidays.
The station was previously served by four daily trains from Seoul, which were mostly used by tourists. [4] However, service was halted due to a lack of demand and deteriorating inter-Korean relations. [5]
Media related to Dorasan Station at Wikimedia Commons
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